


The Fundamental Things Apply

by SelfRescuingPrincess



Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, White House Era (Crooked Media RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 03:17:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17195501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelfRescuingPrincess/pseuds/SelfRescuingPrincess
Summary: Smile like you mean it,he tells his face. Though truth be told, his face doesn't need that much convincing. Lovett is looking up at him and Dan is doing everything he can to not do something horribly embarrassing. Dan has been taken with Lovett’s kindness one too many times this evening and he has got to keep it together. He’s veering into dangerous, uncharted territory and he really hates not having a map.





	The Fundamental Things Apply

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [psa_2018](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/psa_2018) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
> [This video](https://threeblondeswithanxiety.tumblr.com/post/179013381770/oh-no-the-opening-credits-are-problematic) implies a sense of intimacy that I’m never getting over! So, secretly married danlo. Newly dating danlo. Fake marriage danlo. Take your pick, but I will read every version of this story twenty times over.
> 
>  ~~
> 
> A massive thanks go to my Betas, Timjan (who knows the importance of pink shoes) and Tommyandthejons (who knows the true value of fake relationship fics)! They are so sharp, ask me smart questions, catch all the details I missed, manage my ridiculous comma usage, and are just generally lovely and wonderful. They encouraged me at every draft, and I am so grateful!

Dan gets in line at the Starbucks on Pennsylvania Ave., around the corner from the White House. He could have gone down to the cafeteria, but he got in before sunrise and it’s now 3 pm and maybe he should see the sun today, even if it’s only for 20 minutes. He silently grumbles to himself about the complexity of people’s orders—he just wants a cup of fucking coffee. From behind him he hears an unmistakable sigh and he turns around to a mess of curls hunched over a Blackberry. “Hey Lovett.”

“Oh. Hey Dan.” Lovett blinks at him, quirking the corner of his mouth into a half-smile. “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world.”

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Dan grins in spite of himself; Casablanca is secretly one of his favorite movies. He nods at the Blackberry, “What’s going on?”

Lovett rolls his eyes. “I have to ‘make an appearance’ at a reception in the Roosevelt Room this evening and I haven’t come up with a good story so I can leave early. It’s for high school speech and debate teachers, but I’d rather just talk to the kids, you know?” 

Dan reaches the counter. “I’ll have a med- uh, grande coffee.” He glances over his shoulder. “Lovett, what do you want?”

“Grande mocha” Lovett replies automatically without looking up from his phone.

They are walking the two blocks back to the White House when it apparently dawns on Lovett that Dan bought his coffee. “Oh! Hey, thanks for this. I owe you one.”

“No worries. I’ll add it to your tab.” Dan has lost count of the number of coffees on Lovett’s tab.

Lovett looks aghast, hand dramatically clutching his chest. “What?! I’ll have you know that this coffee is really benefiting  _ you, _ Mr. Pfeiffer. It will keep me fuelled and focused to carry out the message of the president that you so carefully, and may I say, so expertly crafted! I am merely doing your bidding, good sir! This coffee is a wise investment on your part.”

“Yeah, sure,” Dan smirks as they get through security. They are about to head off in opposite directions when Dan surprises himself by saying, “Hey—I’ll still be around this evening, want me to pull you out of the thing?”

“Nah, I’ll survive.” Lovett smiles, turns on his heel, and walks down the hall.

  


++++

  


At a quarter past seven Dan is on his way back from the press pool after calling a full lid when he sees a gathering of people in the Roosevelt Room.  _ Oh, right, the speech and debate thing _ .  He sees Lovett in a corner trapped by a lot of enthusiastic gesturing and decides to thwart Lovett’s captor. He walks over and puts his hand on Lovett’s shoulder, startling him, and says, “Hey Lovett, I need to talk to you about that speech we discussed earlier.” Lovett looks grateful but confused. Possibly a little panicked like maybe he had forgotten about something.

“The speech?” 

“Yes, the one about… Morocco.” Dan stares at him, willing him to get it and Lovett finally catches on.

“Oh, yes, right, the speech!” Lovett apologizes to the teacher and practically bolts out of the room, Dan trailing behind him.

They’ve gotten a few yards down the corridor and Lovett turns to Dan and says, “Oh, thank God. I know I told you I would survive, but I really don’t know if I would have made it. Seriously, thanks for the rescue.”

They reach Dan’s office. “It’s no big deal.” Dan shrugs. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya. Thanks again.”

  


++++

  


A few weeks later, Dan is in a circular argument with a reporter from some Small Town Register Picayune News & Ledger Sentinel or something when Lovett happens to be passing by. He does a quick backtrack. “So sorry,” he says conspiratorially, while starting to push Dan in the direction of his office, “I need to steal him away for justasecondthanksssssss.”

“Ugh, thank you, he followed me, and I couldn’t shake him,” Dan whispers.

“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Lovett hasn’t let go of his arm yet, but Dan doesn’t mind.

  


++++

  


After that, it becomes their little joke.

Lovett gets stuck talking to an annoying Republican aide at a bipartisan breakfast. Dan grabs Lovett’s hand, though he actually meant to grab his wrist. “Come with me I need you to meet someone. Sorry to interrupt.” Lovett waves at the aide with his free hand as he’s pulled away.

“Just out of curiosity, who exactly am I meeting?”

Dan is very aware that the hand holding has continued. “The Ambassador to Candyland. Very important.”

Lovett smiles. “Oh? What’s their policy on climate change?”

They make it across the room to the table with the food. Dan abruptly lets go of Lovett and starts spreading cream cheese on a bagel for something to do. “They are very concerned about carbon emissions.”

Lovett gets a glint in his eye, the way he does sometimes. With a half-suppressed chuckle he says, “They’re probably worried about their Sno-Caps melting.” He giggles at his own joke. “Sno-Caps, Dan.”

Dan feels his face crinkling up as he laughs, and Lovett looks particularly pleased.

  


++++

  


It escalates.

At an evening reception for the Poet Laureate, Dan is being lectured to by a professor on the merits of abstract poetry. He’s trying, but he doesn’t really get it.

"There you are, babe." Lovett slides his arm around Dan’s elbow, and Dan is instantly relieved. Hold on.  _ Babe? What's happening? _ He looks down and Lovett is practically petting him with his other hand. Lovett is talking directly to the professor now, “I always have to drag this one home. I keep telling him he’s going to work himself into the ground.” The professor hums and nods knowingly. Dan wonders if the room is getting warmer. Lovett gives Dan’s arm a squeeze. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Dan lets himself be led out of the room, and he can feel his face flush. He hopes no one notices.

  


++++

  


Lovett is in an interminable discussion with a staffer from the Department of Agriculture over soybean subsidies for an upcoming speech to the American Farm Bureau. They have been talking about corn and crop rotation for 45 minutes when Lovett’s Blackberry buzzes. He immediately see’s Dan’s name pop up on the screen.

“Hey,” Lovett’s mouth starts to curl up. “What’s up?”

“I just thought I’d give you a break from that riveting crop conversation you’re having. Pretend like this is a serious call.”

Lovett sets his face. “Oh, yes. I see.”

“So, I’m pretty sure we are considering adopting Swahili as our national language.”  

“Mmm-hmm, I understand.” Lovett’s furrows his brow in concentration. He can hear Dan’s grin through the phone.

“We are also thinking about expanding the Teach for America program to dolphins.”

“Yes, that  _ does _ sound important.” Lovett grips his thigh to keep from smiling. He looks at the staffer and mouths a silent ‘Sorry.’ She looks unimpressed.

“Do you need to get back to your meeting?”

Lovett didn’t want to go to this meeting in the first place. “Um, no, I don’t think that is the case.”

“Great, then come to my office and talk to me about our messaging on incorporating the Keebler Elves into the new jobs program.”

Lovett is already standing. He points at the phone and shrugs at the staffer, who sighs, while he gathers his notes and briefing book. He walks out of the conference room, phone still to his ear.

  


++++

  


Dan has completely forgotten what this function is for, but here he is at a random bar on M St., listening to someone talk to him about… something. He has no idea who this person is or what they are saying, and he literally couldn’t care less. It’s only Wednesday, and he’s already worked over 40 hours this week. He absentmindedly sips his beer. Suddenly, Lovett walks up, grabs Dan’s tie and just wordlessly drags him off as if on a leash, mid-conversation. Dan makes a small harumph of protest. Lovett gives him a mini-eye roll. "You looked so bored. I thought you might actually fall asleep." Dan can’t really argue with that.

  


++++

  


A week later, Dan is on the phone shouting at a reporter, which isn’t exactly out of the ordinary, but he  _ is _ particularly exasperated with this one. Lovett pokes his head in the door; he must have been on his way to the Oval. He enters Dan’s office, takes the receiver out of Dan’s hand, and simply hangs up the phone. “I was talking to someone,” Dan half-heartedly protests.

“No, you weren’t. Not really,” Lovett says over his shoulder as he continues on down the hall.

  


++++

  


A month after that, Lovett is trying very hard to listen to a presentation on infrastructure. He knows he should be interested, but some days it’s just  _ really  _ difficult to get excited about the tensile strength of load-bearing I-beams. Dan miraculously appears in the doorway, walks over to Lovett, leans over and whispers in his ear. They both wordlessly walk out, ignoring everyone’s faces.

  


++++

  


Dan has been trying to politely exit an excruciatingly boring conversation for 10 minutes when Lovett ‘trips’ and ‘falls’ into him. Dan reflexively grabs Lovett, steadying him. “HahahahahaI’msooooclumsyohjeez,” Lovett blathers and it’s only right that Dan makes sure he’s ok. Boring Conversation awkwardly retreats. Dan and Lovett giggle like they’re about to make Boring Conversation their next entry in The Burn Book.  

  


++++

  


Lovett is on the phone with the fact checkers, who are telling him for the eleventy billionth time that “America is the greatest country in the world” isn’t technically accurate. Lovett  _ knows _ this, they point it out  _ every time _ , so now he just writes it out of spite. Dan steps in front of his desk, pulls out his Blackberry and dials Lovett’s other line. “Oh, sorry guys, I have another call. Let’s continue this conversation on the 12 th of Nevervember? Okay, sounds great.”

Lovett looks up from behind his desk with his head slightly tilted and smirks at Dan. The phone continues to ring. Dan asks with a grin, “You gonna answer that?”

  


++++

  


Dan gets invited to be the keynote speaker at an event honoring distinguished Georgetown alumni. He is actually feeling somewhat pleased and pleasantly surprised at being asked when the chairwoman of the honoring committee says, "Oh, and please bring your partner, the two of you are so cute together." 

Dan's brain short circuits. “My partner?” He echos.  He and Sarah haven't been together for a while now, and surely she can't be referring to Alyssa. 

The chairwoman interrupts his thoughts, “Yes, I'm so sorry I don't know his name, but he is obviously welcome.” Oh.  _ Oh _ . 

“Lovett?” He dumbly responds. "Uh, ok, great." Fuck.

  


Immediately after he hangs up the phone Dan starts to panic. He doesn't know how he should handle this. He's been single for so long; it would be nice to have a date, share this moment with someone… but since when did people think he and Lovett were a thing? He had been so caught off guard by the chairwoman’s comment, he doesn't feel like he could walk back his response without everything getting unnecessarily awkward and messy. _It's fine._ _ Just roll with it, _ he decides.

  


Dan finds Lovett in his office, going over edits with Favs. 

"You need to 'borrow him'?" Favs asks with a wink as he clears out of the room.  _ OK, so maybe this is getting out of hand. _ Dan waves off Favs and turns to Lovett. "Hey, I have a weird question for you."

Lovett is wearing a math T-shirt (“πr 2 ? No, π r round, cake r square”) and is Tetris-ed into his chair. At least he's wearing pants that aren't sweatpants. He smiles up at Dan. "What's up?"

“So, I got invited to speak at this fancy Georgetown University thing and it's kind of a big deal.” Dan shoves his hands in his pockets, but you know, casual-like.

“Cool.” Lovett is rotating his chair back and forth in short arcs.

“Anyway, I was told my partner is invited.” Dan exhales, looks right at Lovett.

“Ok?” Lovett looks back at him, eyebrows raised. Dan watches the realization wash over Lovett’s face. “Oh.” The chair stills.

“So, uh, yeah, can you be my partner, uh, date for this thing?” Dan can feel how pink his cheeks must be. His ears are hot. This is _so_ dumb. He had convinced himself that it was no big deal, but now he’s second guessing himself as he looks at Lovett’s actual face.

Lovett considers Dan for what feels like an eternity. Dan is about to say  _ forget it, let's pretend I never said anything _ when, to Dan's surprise, he says, “Why not? I can take one for the team. Sports!”

Dan feels relief wash over him. “Thanks, man.” He adds, “Also it's black tie.”

Lovett glares at him as he backs out of the office.

  


++++

  


Dan picks up Lovett at the prearranged time on Saturday. He watches as Lovett locks his front door.  The navy-blue jacket with a black lapel looks sharp; the color is a little unexpected (much like Lovett himself) and it’s not something Dan would have ever thought to wear. He knows he is staring, so he feels like he has to say something. “You look nice,” Dan offers, but it’s not clear that does anything to temper how awkward he feels.

“Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself.”

Dan has been thinking about Lovett all day, wondering if their little game of Rescue Tag has somehow inevitably lead up to this evening. It’s totally been just jokes up until now, funny moments that make the long, hard days bearable. But Dan can’t deny that those moments belong to only him and Lovett. Having an inside joke with someone is special—a unique connection that he doesn’t have with just anyone. As he had carefully shaved his face earlier, Dan also had to come to terms with the fact that he just really wants to look good for Lovett.    

  


The whole situation feels bizarrely like prom. “I feel like I should have gotten you a corsage,” Dan jokes as he opens the car door for Lovett.

Lovett slides into the passenger seat, and looks up at Dan, batting his eyelashes. “Such a chivalrous boyfriend!”

Dan shuts the car door and walks around to the other side. He wonders if this was maybe actually an insane idea. He opens the driver's side door and gets in the car.

  


Dan is quiet as they drive to the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City. Dan is deep in his thoughts that this whole scenario could go one of two ways: it could be fun, and Lovett and Dan will have something to look back on and laugh. Or, the opposite of that, and Dan is trying not to think about the millions of ways that would suck.

Lovett turns in his seat and asks, with seemingly genuine concern, "Are you ok?"

Dan shakes his head to get back to reality. “Uh, yeah, just nervous about my speech."

“You'll be great.” Lovett smiles at him. This moment of sweetness from Lovett catches Dan right in his chest. He’s used to Lovett’s sardonic wit, his biting commentary, and his rants about anything from complex legislation to the choice of Jell-O flavors in the cafeteria. This softer side of Lovett doesn’t come out often, and Dan knows it.  

  


++++

  


Dan's speech goes well. He had some good points to make about emerging social media, and the audience even laughed at his joke about the Twitter logo as the proverbial canary in the extremism coal mine. Regardless, he is very relieved when it is over—he prefers being the one crafting the message, not necessarily the one delivering it.

  


Dan and Lovett are mingling post-speech when they run into the chairwoman of the gala. “Oh, I'm so glad I finally get to meet your partner! I saw you at the Poet Laureate event but never got a chance to introduce myself.” She shakes Lovett's hand.

“That's me! Dan's partner!” Lovett says, a little too enthusiastically. 

Dan is very aware of his limbs all of a sudden. Lovett must sense his awkwardness because he wraps an arm around the small of Dan's back. It’s somehow grounding. “I'm Jon, but everyone calls me Lovett.”

Lovett turns on the charm and dials up the wit. Dan gazes down at him fondly as he makes a joke (“I mean,  _ I'm _ the speechwriter in the house and he didn't even ask me for help! Unbelievable!!”). The chairwoman laughs, fully enchanted, and says, “Well, Dan, you should definitely hold onto this one—such a mensch!”

“Uh, yeah, I plan to.”  _ Smile like you mean it _ , he tells his face. Though truth be told, his face doesn't need that much convincing. Lovett is looking up at him and Dan is doing everything he can to not do something horribly embarrassing. Dan has been taken with Lovett’s kindness one too many times this evening and he has got to keep it together. He’s veering into dangerous, uncharted territory and he really hates not having a map.

  


The chairwoman wanders off to shake more hands. A waiter circulates with champagne; now that his speech is over Dan is desperate for a drink. “Lovett, how do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Small talk. I thought you hated it.” Dan hates small talk, too; it always feels pointless, but he also feels like a social failure for not being able to pull it off.

“Well, I  _ am  _ a speechwriter for the  _ actual _ president of the United States. Words are kind of my thing.” Lovett smirks over the rim of his glass.

“I know, but”—Dan gestures broadly— “you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I just pretend I'm a game show host.”

  


Dan laughs at this, loud, and looks affectionately at Lovett. He realizes he’s been looking for a second too long when Lovett looks away and shifts his feet, fidgeting with his now-empty glass. Dan also looks away, as if to take his share of Lovett’s palpable self-consciousness. It’s also possible Dan is projecting. It’s probable. 

  


_ ‘You must remember this / a kiss is just a kiss….’ _ Dan perks up at the familiar tune from the band and in that moment he is transported back to the Starbucks on Penn Ave., Lovett surprised and pleased to see him.  _ Of all the gin joints in all the world. _ Fuck it. He turns to Lovett. “Want to dance?”

Lovett blinks at him a little starry-eyed. They've both had several glasses of champagne.

“Come on, it's our song.” Dan grabs Lovett’s hand, on purpose this time, and leads him out to the dance floor. He wraps his right hand around Lovett's waist and holds his left arm out. Lovett takes his outstretched hand, and Dan starts to lead him around the dance floor. Lovett is warm and solid under his palm. Dan suddenly wishes he could feel Lovett's skin under his tuxedo jacket. He pulls Lovett closer to his chest to compensate, which means he can feel it when Lovett responds with a sharp intake of breath. Lovett looks up at him. Their faces are so close.

“Where did you learn to dance?” Lovett asks.  _ ‘A sigh is just a sigh….’ _

“Sarah and I took lessons for the wedding.”

“Oh, right, duh.” Lovett looks a little chagrined for bringing up a potentially sore subject.

“I'm just glad I still remember the basics.” Dan doesn't want Lovett to feel bad about it, so he gives him a warm smile and squeeze.  _ ‘As time goes by…’ _

Lovett tips his head against Dan's chest, turning his face so his head is resting on Dan's shoulder. Dan wonders if Lovett can feel his heart racing, but he’s not sure if he wishes Lovett can or hopes he can’t.  Dan tilts his own face so his cheek brushes Lovett’s forehead and breathes him in. He smells like clean laundry and eucalyptus. Or maybe pine needles. Something green. 

  


Dan doesn't want the song to end, but when it does, he dramatically dips Lovett and Lovett plays along, throwing his head back and kicking his leg up. When Dan pulls him up they are both laughing, and Dan allows himself to get a little lost in the moment, feeling lightheaded. He thinks about how long it’s been since he’s felt a rush like this: he almost didn’t recognize the happiness for what it was.

Lovett's eyes are bright, and one curl is sticking slightly to his forehead. He looks at Dan and asks, “Want to get some air?”

“Sure.” Dan follows Lovett towards the balcony out the French doors, grabbing two more glasses of champagne as he passes a waiter.

  


The cool air outside feels good. Lovett leans against the wall and takes the glass Dan hands him. Dan wonders if maybe he might get to kiss Lovett before the night is over.

“So, do you think they all bought it?” Lovett asks, looking intently at his shoes.

“Bought what?” Dan gets a chill.  _ It’s just from the night air, _ he tells himself.

“You know. Us.” Lovett gestures between the two of them with his champagne flute.

Dan feels his brain slide off the tracks. Has he been hallucinating everything? Or was he just as fooled as everyone else, convinced by the part Lovett was playing? The part Dan  _ asked _ him to play. It was just. Very believable. What a fucking idiot he is.

Dan straightens his spine and coughs. “Uh, yeah. Definitely.” Dan sure as hell did.

“Good. Uh, good.” Lovett kicks at an imaginary pebble.

“So, um, yeah, thanks for doing this for me,” Dan manages to get out. “It was nice to. You know. Have someone here. With me.”

Lovett looks up at him with a small smile. “I'm glad. Even if I had to dress up like a penguin.”

Dan smiles back at Lovett and wonders if you can actually feel your heart break—like is that a real thing?—or if he's just being ridiculous.

  


++++

  


By Monday, Dan has mostly gotten over himself. Lovett obviously isn't interested and was just doing him a favor. Dan let his imagination get the best of him Saturday because he is so very, deeply, crushingly stupid. He buried himself in work, which was easy enough: it’s a coping mechanism so reliable that he’s never bothered learning any others.

Per usual, Dan has back to back meetings all day, and for once he is grateful he won't have to run into Lovett. Except that he is so aggressively avoiding Lovett that when he sees him in the hall he’s so startled that he drops his phone. Like an absolute moron. The phone clatters to the floor and lands right at Lovett’s feet. Lovett picks it up from the floor and makes a show of dusting it off. “Shit, sorry,” Dan apologizes.

“Uh, s'ok.” Lovett shrugs. He hands Dan the phone. Their fingers brush.

Lovett starts, “Are you-” but Dan cuts him off. “I gotta go, I'm on my way to a thing.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, Ok.”

Dan flees down the corridor and definitely does not think about Lovett at all.

  


++++

  


The rest of the week is fairly uneventful, depending on your definition of uneventful. There are the usual crises that must be dealt with and fires that must be extinguished and statements that must be rewritten because whatever you wanted to say at 2 pm no longer applies by 5 pm. The standard, yet relentless, sturm und drang of the White House Comms Shop.

On Friday Dan is walking past the conference room on his way to a briefing. He sees Lovett being talked at by someone Dan recognizes from the Federal Reserve but whose name he can't remember. He pauses in the doorway, biting his lip, unsure of what to do. Before this last weekend he would have just walked in there with some story about needing a statement on the visiting prince Ali Ababwa of Agrabah, but now everything is different somehow. Dan’s indecisiveness has taken too long, and Lovett spots him. Lovett catches his eye over the guy's shoulder, but Dan just ducks his head and runs off like a coward.

  


A few minutes later Dan is standing at the back of the briefing room watching Gibbs handle the press when his pocket buzzes. It's a message from Lovett.

<<I am a damsel in distress!!! Please save me from this horrible ogre!>>

Dan squeezes his eyes shut and pinches his nose. The irony of the Director of Communications not knowing what to say. Another pocketbuzz.

<<Seriously I am trapped in here and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin!!!!!!!>>

Dan shoves his phone back in his pocket.

  


++++

  


It’s 10:00 pm the same evening and Dan is finally in his sweats, with a truly necessary beer in his hand. Leftover takeout Chinese was all he could manage for dinner, but it was enough. He sinks into the couch and turns on ESPN, NBA highlights and Scott Van Pelt always reliable distractions.

  


The knock on the door startles him out of his SportsCenter-induced haze and he spills a little of his beer on his hand.

Dan’s still licking his wrist as he opens the door but freezes when he sees Lovett on the other side.

Lovett unceremoniously shoves past him and whirls around, hands on his hips. “You never came for me,” he accuses, pointing right at Dan, as if there could be any confusion about who he was talking to.

Dan is still standing with his hand on the door knob. His mind is racing, and he finally thinks to shut the door.

“What?” Dan asks, stupidly.

“I was in _peril_ , Dan. I needed _saving_.” Lovett has taken several steps closer to where Dan is standing, and Dan could touch him if he just-

“I. Um.”  _ Breathe like you have lungs, not gills _ , Dan tells himself.

Lovett barrels on, “I had to listen to that guy talk about interest rates and the strength of the Euro for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes, Dan! I almost had to fake a seizure to get away.” Lovett is somehow even closer than he was a second ago. Dan can see the slightly curved outline of Lovett’s clavicles through his T-Shirt (“There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary and those who don't”), and he can feel himself unable to look away.

“Sorry.” Apparently, Dan is now limited to single word responses.

Lovett must see something in Dan’s stiff posture because his face softens. “Are you-? I mean. You seem. Tense?”

Dan tries to get a grasp on the situation and finally decides honesty is the best policy. He puts his beer down on the counter. “Look, I think I need to apologize to you.”

Now it’s Lovett's turn to be confused. “Hey, no, look, I'm the one who should apologize. I'm practically throwing myself at you and it's late and I shouldn't have barged in here and I'll just leave and we never have to talk about this ever again.”

Lovett has already started to move towards the door when Dan's brain catches up. He grabs Lovett's wrist. “What? No. What are you talking about?  _ I'm _ the one who was weird about the whole ‘partner-slash-date’ thing! I just- I just really wanted it to be true, and you were so convincing, and it was great but I'm obviously delusional and I misunderstood things and… did you say you were throwing yourself at me?” Dan feels like every time he thinks he has his footing, the ground shifts again.

  


“Why did you say that was ‘our song’?”

Dan swallows the lump in his throat. “What?” Talking with Lovett always carries the risk of whiplash. Dan is still stuck on ‘throwing myself at you’.

“When we danced. You said it was ‘our song.’”

“Oh. Yeah.” Dan is still holding Lovett's wrist, but he can't bring himself to let go. “From Casablanca? At Starbucks that one day—God, you probably don’t even remember, it was forever ago—you said, ‘of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world.’ Anyway, you didn’t know but it's my favorite movie. And it reminded me of that day. So.” He shrugs one shoulder.

Dan looks down at Lovett. He is small compared to Dan. Compact, soft, cherubic. Dan sometimes,  _ maybe _ , uses his size to help persuade people to see his point of view, but right now he wants to use his entire body to envelop Lovett and never let go.

Lovett looks up at him, a small smile on his sweet face. “I do remember that day. It's my favorite movie, too,” he says quietly, and puts a hand on Dan's chest. “I mean, not like my  _ only _ favorite, mind you, but, it’s like, such a classic, and it’s so funny and sad, and there’s Peter Lorre, and the hats are really great, and please make me stop talking about this?” Lovett looks up at Dan imploringly.

Dan's heart is barely being contained by his ribcage. He touches his fingers to Lovett's cheek. He hopes they aren't trembling too much. “Lovett? May I-”

“Yes. Obviously.”

“-kiss you?”

  


Dan smiles at Lovett's impatience and takes his face in his hands. Lovett rises up on his toes and presses his mouth against Dan's. Dan cannot believe how soft Lovett's mouth is and he wants to savor every second of it. He wraps his arms tightly around Lovett and loses himself in how good it feels to finally hold him. He slides his tongue into Lovett's mouth and Lovett nearly whimpers; it’s a small sound that you wouldn’t hear unless your face was pressed up against his and it’s the absolute best sound Dan has ever heard. Lovett is gripping the back of Dan's T-shirt (“Philadelphia 76ers”) and starts kissing Dan's jaw, his neck, behind his ear, anywhere he can reach.

It suddenly becomes imperative to Dan that he get Lovett out of his clothes  _ right now _ . He pulls back, gasping for air. “Can we- relocate? To my bedroom?”

Lovett's eyes are dark, a little wild, and cataloguing Dan's face. Finally, “Yes. I am very amenable to that. Yes.”

Dan laughs and leads him down the hall. Once in his bedroom, he takes full stock of having Lovett in front of him. His cheeks are pink, as are his sneakers, and his curls are every which way and Dan thinks he's the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

Lovett starts tugging Dan's shirt off and pushes him backwards until he's sitting on the bed. Lovett is kissing him and Dan can hardly wrap his brain around everything that is happening. Lovett kisses down his neck and his chest until he is kneeling in between Dan's knees.

“What are y-” Dan gasps as Lovett reaches into his sweats and gets his hand around Dan's cock.

Lovett grins up at him, “You have no idea how much I've thought about this. Every time you pulled me out of some stupid thing I wanted you to take me back to your office so I could do this to properly thank you. Or, well, to  _ improperly _ thank you.”

Dan's mind reels. “Ev- every time?” He can't catch his breath.

Lovett gets his lips on the tip of Dan's dick. “Every...” Lovett swirls his tongue around the head “…single…” more tongue “...time.”

Dan groans and curls himself over Lovett, his fingers white-knuckled around the edge of the bed. Lovett grips the base of Dan's dick as he swallows him down, his thickness stretching Lovett's lips as he works up and down Dan's shaft. He has never felt this good, this- this-  _ gooood _ . He's not going to last.

Lovett hollows out his checks and softens his throat taking as much of Dan as he can. Dan runs his fingers through Lovett's hair and Lovett moans in encouragement as he moves his head in a smooth rhythm. Dan grips handfuls of curls as he gasps, “Lovett- I'm gonna- please, I can't-” Lovett sucks just that much harder and Dan can feel his orgasm building in his abdomen. “Lovett- god- you’re so- ah-” Dan’s brain is trying but utterly unable to express how incredible Lovett makes him feel. Lovett’s hands are clutching Dan’s thighs for leverage but Dan can feel him everywhere, as if every neuron in their bodies are connected. Lovett slides all the way down, his nose brushing the soft skin on Dan’s belly. This finally pushes Dan over the edge and he comes hard down Lovett’s throat, clenching Lovett’s shoulders so tight he might leave fingertip-shaped bruises on Lovett’s pale skin. Lovett works him through the aftershocks as Dan falls back on the bed in blissful oblivion.

  


Dan is still breathing hard when he opens his eyes to see Lovett wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. “Jesus.” Dan exhales. Lovett climbs on top of him and sits, straddling his lap.

“You are so gorgeous,” Lovett says as he strokes Dan’s chest. “You don't even know what you do to me.” 

Dan is still  _ sans vocabulaire _ but he gives Lovett a quizzical look. Lovett looks back at him like everything is incredibly obvious. “Like, are you kidding me with these arms? Do you know how many times a day I think about you manhandling me? When you dipped me on the dance floor I thought I might pass out from your arms, like, existing. I mean, yesterday I fantasized about us wrestling and you pinning me to the floor. I had a  _ sports-related fantasy _ about you, Dan. That’s what you do to me.”

Dan laughs as he regains coherence. “Are you for real? Lovett, you drive me crazy. I can hardly think around you.” Dan runs his hands up and down Lovett's sides, finally getting his hands under Lovett’s shirt. His skin is so smooth under Dan’s fingers. Lovett pulls his own cock of his pants and starts to stroke himself. Dan can't get over Lovett’s pretty pink dick.  _ Pink cheeks, pink shoes, pink dick. _ Pink might be Dan’s new favorite color. 

  


Dan diverts his eyes to the ceiling because looking directly at Lovett is too overwhelming, like maybe he should be wearing those special glasses you wear when watching a solar eclipse. “Lovett, you are so amazing, your body is so fucking hot.” Dan risks a glance and sees Lovett really working himself. Dan wishes he had the full use of his arms, but they are still heavy from climaxing. The best he can do is grip Lovett's ass, and rub down his thick thighs. Lovett's breathing has gotten shallow and his face is scrunched up. As spent as Dan is, he can feel his breath quicken again just from watching Lovett on top of him. How can someone look both sexy and cute at the same time? 

  


“God, Lovett you look incredible. You  _ feel _ incredible. I want you so much, all the time, I can't wait to fuck you-” And with that Lovett gasps- “Oh, shit!”- and comes all over Dan's stomach. He tips forward, one hand next to Dan's head, the other squeezing himself until he’s done. Lovett finally rests his face on Dan’s shoulder, and Dan wraps his arms around Lovett, stroking his back until he has recovered.

Lovett's breathing has slowed and Dan rolls him onto his side so he can go to the bathroom and clean up a little. Lovett only sighs a small complaint.

  


++++

  


Dan is in fresh boxers when he gets back to the bed. Lovett has taken off the rest of his clothes and found his way under the covers; Dan slips in behind him. Lovett is warm and pliant and drifting into sleep. There’s no way Dan was going to let Lovett leave, but it was an easy sell to get him to stay (‘Will you stay here with me tonight?’ ‘If you insist.’ ‘I insist.’ ‘Okay then.’). Dan can't help but press his face into Lovett’s neck as he wraps an arm around him, hand flat against Lovett’s chest.

“Dan?” Lovett is muffled in the pillow.

“Yeah, babe?” Dan takes a small risk with the pet name.

“I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

Dan grins into Lovett’s shoulder. “Yeah, me too.” 

  
  



End file.
